You were working on your photography assignment, going through some of the pictures you'd gotten since Halloween. There were some of Sasha and Niccolo cooking, a couple of Jean looking up at a tall building, one of Connie dangling from a tree like a monkey, and one of Mikasa studying, the light pouring from the window and causing a light haze.

It was crazy how close you had gotten with these guys in a matter of months. Sasha was your roommate and you were glad you two had gotten close, but Marco had really become your best friend. And Connie...

"Hey!" Marco walked over to you and pulled out the chair, settling into it. You were in a coffee shop on campus, one that was pretty popular among the students.

"Hey," you smiled and shut your laptop, your eyes meeting his curious expression.

"So why did you want to meet?" He asked as his brown eyes narrowed.

"I have something to tell you and you're kind of like my best friend," you placed your elbows on the table as the bottom of your chin rested in your hands, a small smirk on your face.

Marco's eyes widened before he leaned forward, saying, "No fucking way."

"I kissed him."

Marco could barely contain himself but made sure not to draw too much attention to the two of you as he did his famous celebratory dance.

"When?!" You laughed at his excitement and started to tell him about the two dates you went on after Halloween.

Connie and you hadn't really been able to hang out much since then because of school, but it was nice to get the time with him when you could.

"So is it official?" Marco eyed you and you shrugged. Connie also hadn't really said anything about being girlfriend and boyfriend and you'd really only been on two dates.

"That's something I'll have to bring up next time we see each other," you sighed and Marco tilted his head, picking up on your questioning tone.

"Something the matter?"

"No, we just haven't had the opportunity to hang out for a while because of school, and I really want to see him," you mentioned and Marco nodded his head, understanding.

"Well, I know that'll he be at Sasha's til late tonight. He went back with her to visit her parents and siblings for the day after they finished classes," Marco leaned back into the chair, his gaze averting up to the ceiling as he admired the the mini metal chandelier.

"Connie did tell me about his family," you whispered and Marco fell silent. He looked at you warmly, knowing how intense the story was.

"You good?" He asked.

"It's not me we should be worried about. This isn't about me. I'm just worried about him. I could never imagine going through something like that."

"Connie does hide his pain a lot. Sasha's told us that he used to be a lot happier. He still kinda is, as he's the goof of our friend group, but you can just see it-"

"Behind his eyes," you finished for Marco and he let out a rough chuckle at that.

"Man, you really are observant, aren't you? I'm scared to see what you've noticed about me," he switched the topic of the conversation smoothly and you leaned forward, narrowing your gaze.

"I have been wondering something but I also don't want to assume because I know that's just as hurtful," you lowered your voice and Marco's brown eyes lit up, a small smile forming on his lips.

"I know what you're talking about."

"You do?"

"Yes, I'm gay," he grinned and gestured to himself.

"Okay because I really wasn't sure and I didn't want to ask but I had my suspicions because of a certain someone," your eyes were squinted as Marco stared at you dumbfounded. So you leaned forward and said, "Need I bring up Jean?"

Marco's face went bright red and you held in a laugh, confirming your suspicions. You'd seen the way Marco would steal glances at Jean and the small blushes and awkward laughs he would have whenever Jean complimented him.

"You can't tell him! We live together and I don't want him to get weirded out. Besides, he's been in love with Mikasa for as long as I can remember," Marco looked down at the table, his voice quieting down.

"I mean, I don't know very much about Jean or if he's even into men, but he seems to care about you a great deal. Maybe even more than a friend. Has he ever given signs?" You asked and Marco shrugged, tracing the wood on the table.

"Not really, which sucks. I know this crush will go away soon, but I really do like him. But I also know that if he isn't interested, it could mess everything up. Also, like you said, I don't know if he even likes boys. He doesn't talk about that stuff very much."

You took in Marco's appearance— the slumped shoulders, the droopy eyes, and the cloudy expression. You knew how hard rejection was and Marco was probably one of the last people on earth you'd ever want to go through it.

"Would Sasha or Connie know?" You asked and Marco's brows furrowed in thought, his brown eyes darkening from the small shadows.

"Maybe, but it's kind of like an invasion of privacy if I were to ask. If he's not out to everybody, then he doesn't really want anyone to know," Marco pointed out and you nodded your head, his words making sense.

"That is a tough spot," you murmured and sat in a comfortable silence with Marco, wondering if there was any other way you could help him.

"Is there anything I can get for you guys?" The waitress walked over, the coffee brown apron splattered with stains from the day.

"I think we're gonna head out, but thank you," you smiled and the waitress curtly nodded her head, walking off.

"Wanna come over and watch a movie?" Marco suggested and you shrugged, knowing you had nothing better to do. Besides, it'd be nice to have some company for the night.

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You sat on the floor with some popcorn as Marco laid across the couch, refusing to make room for you. You would've sat in the lazy boy but that was claimed by Jean. The three of you were watching a John Mulaney comedy, one of your favorite comedians.

The door to the apartment quietly opened and a tired Connie stepped in, his gray beanie covering his fuzzy head. His eyes were shut halfway as he let out a low "Hey," his arms limp by his sides.

"Well you look like hell," Jean teased and Marco sat up, making room for Connie on the couch.

But he ignored it and slumped towards you, collasping onto the floor and laying his head on your lap. You could feel his chest rise and fall, the breathing heavy and almost alarming.

"Guys," you looked at them and the two boys left at your cue. You watched them disappear into their rooms, and when they were finally gone from sight, you turned your attention back to Connie, placing a hand on his back and rubbing it back and forth in a soothing motion.

You didn't say anything, you just felt the wet tears dampen your sweats as Connie silently cried into your lap, letting all those emotions release from the heavy glass bottle he'd been carrying for years, the feelings gushing out as if the cork had just been popped.

After a while, Connie sat up, his eyes red as he sat next to you, leaning back against the couch. He looked up at the pale ceiling and you wondered what he saw above his eyes— what images from his brain were playing before him like a movie.

"I don't know what's wrong," Connie finally admitted, his eyes still trained on the white ceiling like his life depended on it.

You stayed silent.

"It's like some days I'm completely fine and then others I'm a complete mess. There's no in between and I can't figure it out," he croaked, his voice a whisper as he tried to keep from crying again.

"I'm sorry, you shouldn't have to see me like this. This isn't what you signed up for," Connie sniffed and you furrowed your brows, taking his hand in yours and squeezing it.

"Connie, when I said yes to that date, I said yes to all of you. I kissed you, I held your hand, and I want to be with you. I want to be someone you can rely on, your ally, so don't you dare think for a second that I don't want any of this. I want to help you, you just need to tell me how," you spoke softly, Connie's weary honey gaze matching yours, his eyes more golden in the dim light.

"I don't even know how," he replied and you softened your gaze, wiping his tears away.

"What do you need right now?"

"Maybe a hug...and a kiss...?" Connie turned on the charms and you let out a light laugh, leaning towards him to give him a kiss, the kind that was sweet and short, the kind that gave butterflies and the kind that left you wanting more.

You wrapped your arms around Connie as he squeezed you tight, snuggling into your grasp. He stayed like this for a while until he suddenly tased your sides.

You let out a squeal, slapping a hand over your mouth as you laughed hard, trying to keep quiet since Marco and Jean were probably going to bed.

"Do you have a ride home?" Connie asked and you shook your head no. He sat there for a while, a hard thinking expression on his face.

"I can take you."

"No, you're too tired and worn out. It'd be better if I called for an 'Uber'."

"Tell you what. I'll let you drive and then I'll stay the night in your dorm. I have a class on that side of the campus anyways," your eyes widened at that and you put a finger up to your chin, tapping it as you considered the offer.

"I accept," you smiled and stood up, extending your hands to help Connie get to his feet. Bringing him up was hard considering he weighed more than you, your feet stumbling back as he sprung up. He caught you by the waist and pulled you in close to him, looking down at you with a soft expression.

"Hey," he grinned.

"Hey," you smiled back and he kissed the top of your forehead, pulling you in for another hug before grabbing the keys out of his pocket and placing them in your palm.

"She's my baby, so if you crash us, I'm killing you," he warned and you scoffed at the sudden brutality of his words, smacking his arm.

"I'll have you know that I am a great driver, sweetie," you snapped back and Connie giggled at that, which made you wonder what was going on his mind.

"You doubt me?"

"No, I just haven't seen you drive at all. How am I supposed to trust that?"

"Well obviously you trust me enough to drive your car."

"Well..." Connie stopped for a moment and didn't continue, meaning you had won the little fight.

"See?" You let out a hmpf and opened the apartment door, letting Connie step out before you.

"Now, let's get home before it gets any later. I still have an 8 AM math class," you pointed out and Connie turned around, walking backwards in the hallway as he smirked at you, saying "Loser," in a low voice.

"Shut up beanpole," you laughed as Connie's jaw dropped, the recognition of that insult from the first time you met glinting in his eyes.

"You'll regret that," he narrowed his gaze at you, and you shrugged, letting his mind think of ways he could prank you.

"You can try Connie, but remember, if you start a war, I'll fight back too," you commented as you reached his side, his arm now over your shoulders.

"We've been at war since day one," Connie looked at you and your mind went through all of the first encounters you had with Connie.

"Well, yeah, but then we started to tolerate one another," you spoke up and Connie looked ahead, the realization coming across his face too.

"Huh...I guess you're right," he grinned and took his arm off to press the button to the elevator, the doors opening at the sound of the ding.

You and Connie stepped inside, but when the doors started to close, Connie suddenly pushed you out and you tripped, the doors closing before you could rush back in, Connie's loud laugh cutting off abruptly.

You muttered curse words under your breath as you raced to the stairs, running down them as fast as you could, trying to beat the elevator out. But when you came to the bottom, Connie had beaten you, his lopsided grin more antagonizing now than cute.

"You bi-"

"Ah, ah, ah, language!" He called out and you lunged after him, his body reacting and racing out the doors. You chased after him in the parking garage, your eyes spotting his car before he could even find it.

Connie noticed your gaze and went after you as you raced to the car. You got into the driver's seat and quickly locked the doors, turning the engine on and smirking as it roared.

"Y/N!" He pounded the windows but you threw the car into reverse, carefully backing out before driving out of the winding parking garage, Connie chasing after you.

You finally stopped at the entrance, rolling the window down as a tired and out-of-breath Connie reached you, his arms dangling inside the car as he leaned over.

"You win, I'm sorry," he breathed out in huffs and you unlocked the car, letting him get in.

"Take this as a sign to never mess with me," you smiled and Connie looked over at you, a content look on his face.

"Not gonna lie, that was kinda hot," he winked and you felt your cheeks grow hot, so not to satisfy him you let out fake retch, gagging.

"Oh come on!" Connie pleaded and you laughed as you rolled the windows down, driving all the way back to the dorms.

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a/n: okay lol i just think this chapter is so cute so i hope you guys really liked it! also um THANK YOU FOR 16k READS?!?!?!?!?! that's AMAZING AHHHHHHHHHHHH

i've started to change a lot of the stuff i've been doing to make it more general for all readers, but if there's anything i need to fix, let me know! other than that i hope you enjoyed!

- ocean 💜